Exercising machine



March 4, 1958 LAWTQN 2,825,563

EXERC ISING MACHINE Filed May 16, 1955 INVENTOR. Harry R. Lowton HTTOENEIJ United States Patent 2,825,553 Patented Mar. 4, 1 $58 pawl EXERCISING MACHINE R.- Lawton, Seattle, Wash, assignor to Rogers Health"Eqnipment,.Inc.',.Seatfle, Wash, a corporation oiwashington.

Application May 16, 1955, S'e'rial No. 508,507

3;Claims.1 (CL. 272-79) This invention relates to exercising. macliines and it has reference.more. particularly to an apparatus which to some extent simulates the rowing, machine type of exerciser in that it is stationary and. provides forth'e simultaneous exercising of back, leg and Iarm muscles.

It-is the principal object-of thepresent inventionto provide a simplified, and'relatively inexpensive machine ofithe above type that affords all 'of the advantages in so far as providing for body exercise is concerned, ,now pgovidedin machinesv ofmore expensive and more elaborate types. More specifically stated, it .is theprincipal object of the invention to provide an exercising machine of rowing .machine..typ e.wherein. theexercising efiort exerted by the arms and legs of the user is applied against a piston that-is-reciprocally' movable in an air cylinder and .the required .efiort can..be.,varied, as; desired; by adjustment of;.an.air valve through; which. the air..is'.1bypassed fromtone .end. of ..the..cylinder. to;;the other;

Still further. objects and advantages ofi the presenti'exercising machine reside in the details of construction of its parts; in their combination and in the mode of use of the device, as will hereinafter be fully described.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the present exercising machine.

Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, sectional view of the air cylinder, showing the valved piston and the valve controlled passage through which air is by-passed from one end of the cylinder to the other.

Referring more in detail to these drawings:

The present machine, in a preferred form of construction, compresses a rigid main frame structure formed of metal tubing, such as aluminum, stainless steel or other suitable material. This frame structure comprises paired longitudinal elements, each formed from a single length of tubing, bent to U-form to provide an upper leg and a somewhat shorter lower leg 11. These paired elements are disposed in laterally spaced, parallel, vertical planes, as understood by reference to Fig. 1, each being co-extensive with the other, and each with the semi-circularly curved end portion 12, which joins the legs 10 and 11, at the rear end of the machine.

The two frame elements above described are joined rigidly in their spaced relationship by a plurality of crossbars and, as seen in Fig. 1, they are supported at their rear ends through the mediacy of suction cups 16 afiixed thereto; these being adapted to flatly engage the floor or supporting surface on which the machine rests.

It is shown in Fig. 1 that the upper legs 10 of these two frame elements are somewhat longer than the lower legs 11 and that these two joined elements are supported at their formed ends by a pair of legs 2020. Each leg has a substantially vertical portion welded or otherwise permanently joined at its upper end, as at 21 in Fig. l, to the leg 10 of the corresponding longitudinal frame element." Also, to this leg, the forwardend'of the-shorter lower leg; 11. 'ofthezframe element'is welded, as.at 22. At theiriower ends, the legs 26h'ave laterally and'outwardly directed'feet 25', and at'the endsofl' these are surface engagingsuction cups 26. whichengagethe supporting surface.

The frame structure, as thus. formedand supported, ,is rigid and durable and has no tendency inthe' useoffthe machine,.to tip sidewise or to creep, in a longitudinal direction.

Mountedat theiforward ends'of'the coextension legs iiiof the paired frame elements-are transversely and horizontally, aligned bearings 3i]30 in which a. crank shaft.31 is.mountedvfor oscillation. This crankshaft is formed at its opposite ends with'dependi'nglegs, 3232, of'equal'length' and these are equipped at their. lower ends with pedals 33-l-33 in'transverse" alignment. As thus mounted, th'e crank shaft is adapted for forwardand rearward -oscillati'c'm,,asindi'catedby the arrow adjacent thereto in Fig. 12

Pivotally mountedQby; a bolt 35"that extends between the forward end portions of the legs lif -10 of the paired'frames for' forward and rearward:oscillation is a'leverfifijequipped at its.upper end with laterally di? rected'handles 39. Tliebolt 35 is located'somewhat rearward "ofthe bearings 30"but forward" of legs. 20? It has atlower endportion 33x extended'b'elow the pivot bolt 35jwhich islpivotally connected at its lower endb'ypair'ed link 41-4Twith,a.cross-rodl42 that. extends between the depending legs 32--3Zof thecrank shaft 31..

Disposedabove. the. legs 10 -10 of the. paired main frame sections, is a. seat.5li on.which' the user. of the machinecansit, astr'idethe framewith" his two feet rested uppn .the pedals 3333 and his. two handslgrasp; ing the corresponding handle members 39.

The seat 50 is supported by a pair of rods 5252, with upper ends fixed to the under side and rear end portion of the seat, and extended forwardly and downwardly therefrom, and pivotally fixed at their lower ends to the forward ends of the legs 11 by bolts 54. A seat bracing and supporting strut 55 extends from the under side and forward end portion of the seat downwardly to the rods 52 and is fixed thereto by a bolt 57 passed through the parts. Extended between the upper end portion of strut 55 and lower end portions of lever 38 is a link 58 with its ends pivotally connected to these parts, respectively, by bolts 59 and 60. By reason of this connection, forward and rearward oscillation of the lever 33 will effect a corresponding raising and lowering of the seat as indicated by the dotted line showing of these parts in Fig. 1.

It is to be understood that, in use of the exercising device, the user, sitting on seat, with his feet on the pedals and hands gripping the handles 39, pulls rearward on the lever 38 and pushes forwardly on the pedals, to lift his weight as supported on the seat. He then reverses the operation by pushing the handle bar forward, and allowing this weight on the seat to act through the described linkage to return the pedals to retracted position.

In order that the exercising effort may be made more or less, as desired, I have mounted an air cylinder 65 longitudinally within the main frame srtucture; this being pivotally fixed at its rear end by a pivot bolt 66 that extends between the curved rear end portions 12 of the paired frame members. Contained in the air cylinder 65 is a piston 68 with a piston rod 6? extended from its forward end, slidably through the cylinder head and pivotally connected at its forward end to the lower end of lever 38 by a pivot bolt 70 which also connects links 41 with the lever. the piston 68 will be reciprocally moved in the cylinder, 65, and the physical effort required to move it can be Thus, with the oscillation of lever 38 varied in accordance 'with the by-passing of air from one end of theicylinder' to the other; 7

To permit such by-passing of air, the piston is formed with two air passagest7171tas shown in Fig. 3; each being equipped with a ball check valve, 74, and these being faced in opposite directions. In ,additiorito these two piston passages which are of fixed area, there is also a 'by-pass' tube 75 leading fromfone cylinderthead to the.

otherfexterior of the cylinder; This tube bonnec'ts'at its ends through passages 76 and 77 formed inlthe heads,

with the opposite ends of the cylinder, A'fvalve stem 80 is threaded into head; and into thepassa'ge .76 and i t by its adjustment will vary the passage area andfflow of air therethr ough accordingly, thus to require more or less machine. a v

Having thusdescribed my invention, 'what I claim as physical effort on the part of the user in operation of the new therein, and desire to secure b'y L'etters Patent is 1. An exercising machine 'or the character described comprising a rigid frame structure including a pair of laterally spaced, coextensive" opposite side members and means joining said members rigidly in parallel ;vertical planes; each side" member having substantially horizontal: 1y extending upper and lower leg portions-a seat mountlever located tbetween the forward end portions of said side members and pivoted thereto,*between'its ends, 'for 'Qeeaeea attits other end to the seat structure wherebybscillation. V a of the handle lever effects a lifting andlowering'action of said seat structure, and, a resistance means interposed i ported for oscillatiorrina vertical plane and depending 7. from the frame structure forwardly i of the; handle-lever; V

a and feet of the user in the actuation of the seat support-t lating'actionth'e handle lever, said cylinder being equipped p with a passage for theby-passing of airfrorn one end 25 thereof tofthe other in accordance with piston movements upper/end; extended substantially above said seat struc V ture, alinkipivotally connected at'one endato the lower 7 end portion 0t said handle lever and pivotally connected between and connected to the handle lever and the rear end portion of "said frame structure andoperable to yieldingly resist,-to various amounts, the oscillating actions of the handle lever and seat structure,

2. The device of claim l including a crank shaft sup said crank shaft having foot pedalsrat its lowerf endtadapted to accommodate the feet ofa'person sitting on the seat 7 structure and holding the handle lever and..atlink operatively connecting the crankshaft with the lower end of the handle lever to provideffor theltcoaction of the hands ing lever. t

3. The'device'of claim 2 wherein said resistance means;

comprises a double acting air cylinder, connected with the frame structure, a piston contained'th'erein for ref ciprocal action and'a rod connecting the pistonta'n'd handle leverto move the piston in accordance with the-oscil-l and a valve associated with said passage and adju'stable totcontr'ol the fiowof air'the'reth'rough'to more or less extent, thus to establish the desired resistance to movement of the pistons a so 1 Reterenees Cited" in the {fileot this patent UNITED STATES PATIENTS oscillationlsubstantially in the same plane of movement iligl67l4 i Burke 311131451933 7 i of said seat'mounting lever; said handle lever having its 2,068,578 -tStr onachV *Jan. 1 9, 1937, 2,278,591 Sak a Apr. 7,1942 2,642,282 p Bell nrune 16," 1953 w 

